The Daly Building was erected in 1905, before the Château Laurier which construction began in 1910. The Daly Building was the first department store of Ottawa. In 1915, it was bought by the federal government and turned into office space in 1921.

After decades of negligence by the owner, the NCC, the civil servants left the building in 1978. It was demolished in 1991 and the site remained vacant for over a decade before the NCC decided what to do with empty lot.